Boil Water Notice issued for Millstreet Public Water Supply

The Boil Water Notice has been put in place as a precautionary measure following the detection of low levels of cryptosporidium

Following advice from the Health Service Executive, Irish Water and Cork County Council have issued a Boil Water Notice for the area supplied by the Millstreet Public Water Supply.

The Boil Water Notice has been put in place as a precautionary measure to protect approximately 2,500 people served by this supply following the detection of low levels of cryptosporidium in a recent test.

Irish Water has identified this as a vulnerable supply due to the lack of adequate treatment and has been carrying out regular testing of the supply to ensure there was no threat to public health.

In order to address the disinfection issue, funding of €210,000 was provided for the installation of 2 ultraviolet (UV) disinfection units, micro filters and ancillary works at the Millstreet Water Treatment Plant. Contractors were appointed last month and are currently working on site to install this system. This will ensure that water from this supply has a fully validated cryptosporidium inactivation barrier, which will treat water for cryptosporidium and mitigate the risk. This work is expected to be complete in mid June, after which Irish Water will liaise with the HSE with a view to having the Boil Water Notice removed as soon as possible.

In the meantime, all customers of this supply are advised to boil water before use until further notice.

Irish Water apologises for the inconvenience caused by the imposition of the boil water notice. We will continue to work closely with Cork County Council and the HSE to monitor the supply and lift the notice as quickly as possible.

The areas affected include Millstreet, Ballydaly, Laght, Drishane and Keale.

For more information and additional advice, please call our 24-hour customer care line at 1850 278 278. 

Water must be boiled for:

• Drinking
• Drinks made with water
• Preparation of salads and similar foods, which are not cooked prior to eating
• Brushing of teeth
• Making of ice - discard ice cubes in fridges and freezers and filtered water in fridges. Make ice from cooled boiled water.

What actions should be taken:

• Use water prepared for drinking when preparing foods that will not be cooked (e.g. washing salads)
• Water can be used for personal hygiene, bathing and flushing of toilets but not for brushing teeth or gargling
• Boil water by bringing to a vigorous, rolling boil (e.g. with an automatic kettle) and allow to cool. Cover and store in a refrigerator or cold place. Water from the hot tap is not safe to drink. Domestic water filters will not render water safe to drink
• Caution should be taken when bathing children to ensure that they do not swallow the bathing water
• Prepare infant feeds with water that has been brought to the boil once and cooled. Do not use water that has been re-boiled several times. If bottled water is used for the preparation of infant feeds it should be boiled once and cooled. If you are using bottled water for preparing baby food, be aware that some natural mineral water may have high sodium content. The legal limit for sodium in drinking water is 200mg per litre. Check the label on the bottled water to make sure the sodium or `Na' is not greater than 200mg per litre. If it is, then it is advisable to use a different type of bottled water. If no other water is available, then use this water for as short a time as possible. It is important to keep babies hydrated.
• Great care should be taken with boiled water to avoid burns and scalds as accidents can easily happen, especially with children.